The post Elliott State Forest Hike — August 19 first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contacts:
Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463            
Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity
Bob Sallinger, Portland Audubon

 Old-Growth Clearcutting Would Imperil Threatened Marbled Murrelets

EUGENE, Ore. — Today, a U.S. District Court judge issued a ruling preventing Scott Timber from clearcutting old growth forest previously part of the Elliott State Forest. The court found that the proposed logging of the “Benson Ridge” parcel by the subsidiary of Roseburg Forest Products would harm and harass threatened marbled murrelets, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. The court’s ruling permanently enjoins logging of the occupied murrelet habitat.

In August 2016, Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity and Portland Audubon filed suit seeking to block Scott Timber from clearcutting 49 acres of the 355-acre parcel of land because of the impacts to threatened marbled murrelets.

“Today’s ruling is groundbreaking because it holds a private timber company accountable for plans to destroy habitat essential for imperiled wildlife in Oregon,” said Nick Cady, legal director at Cascadia Wildlands. “This ruling establishes that private timber companies can no longer violate the Endangered Species Act with abandon.”

Marbled murrelets are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The Act strictly prohibits “take” — which includes harming, wounding, harassing or killing — of protected species.  Marbled murrelets are sea birds with unique nesting requirements. They lay a single egg high in horizontal branches of old-growth trees within 40 miles of the coastline, and make daily trips to the Pacific to bring fish to their young once hatched.

Murrelets were documented in the stand proposed for clearcutting more than 200 times by both Coast Range Forest Watch, a group of citizens scientists who conduct murrelet surveys out of concern for their survival, and the logging company’s own contractors, leading the court to find that logging would harm murrelets “through the destruction and degradation of occupied murrelet habitat” and thereby impair the seabird’s ability to nest for “100 years or more.”

“I love marbled murrelets and I’m thrilled they got a little more protection from logging,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The state of Oregon, private timber companies, and all of us share a responsibility to stop extinction and protect forests. This decision is good news not only for murrelets, but for hundreds of other species and future generations.

In July of last year, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife uplisted the murrelet’s state protected status from threatened to endangered under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act. In response to a 2016 lawsuit, the Oregon Board of Forestry is in the process of developing rules to protect murrelet sites on state and private timber lands, but has dragged the process out for over five years and has yet to propose final rules. When presented with this lawsuit, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service declined to take up the case.

“Since their listing 30-years ago under the ESA, marbled murrelets have moved even closer to extinction in Oregon in large part because state and federal agencies have not done enough to protect and preserve the older forests on which they depend,” said Bob Sallinger, conservation director for Portland Audubon. “Hopefully this win and others that preceded it will encourage state and federal agencies to more aggressively pursue their responsibilities to protect and recover this amazing seabird that depends on Oregon’s older coastal forests to nest.”

The Benson Ridge parcel was acquired by Scott Timber as a part of the state of Oregon’s efforts to sell the Elliott State Forest in 2014. Cascadia Wildlands, Audubon, and the Center for Biological Diversity challenged those land sale efforts in state court in order to keep the much loved forest open to the public. In 2019, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the state’s efforts to sell the Elliott were illegal, and that the state’s understanding that these lands needed to be managed to maximize revenue were misplaced.

The court’s ruling builds on recent successful efforts to permanently protect the remainder of the Elliott State Forest. This past legislative session, the Elliott State Research Forest was created severing the link between old-growth timber sale revenues and public school funding in Oregon. The new research forest: 1) retains the forest in public ownership, 2) creates a 34,000-acre permanent reserve on the west side of the forest to benefit murrelets and other imperiled species, 3) protects nearly all of the remaining mature and old-growth forest left on the Elliott, and 4) meaningfully engages western Oregon tribes in its management.

The organizations were represented by attorneys for Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity, attorney Daniel Kruse and the law offices of Charlie Tebbutt.

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Cascadia Wildlands defends and restores Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forests, in the courts, and in the streets. Cascadia Wildlands has over 12,000 members and supporters.
 
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
 
Audubon Society of Portland was founded in 1902 to promote the understanding, enjoyment and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats. Today it represents over 16,000 members in Oregon.

The post Press Release: Court Halts Logging of Elliott State Forest Tract Sold to Private Timber Company first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Bob Sallinger, Portland Audubon
Brett Brownscombe, Wild Salmon Center
Doug Moore, Oregon League of Conservation Voters

Oregon Legislature Approves Durable Conservation Solution for Elliott State Forest

Deal Hailed as a Significant Victory for Imperiled Species, Tribal Inclusion, Old-growth Forests, Clean Water, Climate Security and School Children

SALEM, OR — Today, the Oregon House of Representatives voted 50-8 to approve SB 1546 to create the Elliott State Research Forest and appropriate $121 million to decouple the 82,500-acre forest near Coos Bay from the Common School Fund (CSF). The vote follows the Oregon Senate’s approval of the legislation 22-4 on Tuesday.

“This is the culmination of over 20 years of work to find a lasting solution for this outstanding public forest and the clean water, imperiled species habitat, and climate security that it provides,” said Josh Laughlin, Executive Director of Cascadia Wildlands. “Critically, no longer will school children in Oregon be pitted against the environment when it comes to managing this unique coastal rainforest.”

The legislation, which was the result of three years of work by a diverse advisory committee and public feedback, keeps the Elliott in public ownership through the creation of the Elliott State Research Forest Authority and will be overseen by a board of directors appointed by the State Land Board, made up of the governor, secretary of state and treasurer. Oregon State University will be vested management authority by following a research platform, as well as a Forest Management Plan and a federal Habitat Conservation plan.

“A remarkable amount of work has been done over the past three years to transcend decades of conflict and find durable solutions that truly protect the Elliott’s older forests, water quality and imperiled species such as the marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl and coastal coho, while also achieving other important community values,” said Bob Sallinger, Conservation Director for Portland Audubon Society who served on the stakeholder advisory committee. “There is much work ahead to make this new structure a success, but with the vote today, the legislature has launched the Elliott into a new era.”
 
The legislation also completes decoupling of the Elliott from the Common School Fund by appropriating $121 million. In 2017, the Oregon legislature approved $100 million to begin the decoupling process. Historically, timber sale receipts from logging old-growth forests on the Elliott were used to pump the $2.2 billion CSF, but the District Court in 2012 ruled the State of Oregon was illegally logging the Elliott due to impacts on the marbled murrelet, an imperiled seabird that nests in the Elliott’s old-growth forests, and logging was ground to a standstill. 

SB 1546 establishes durable conservation protections for the Elliott State Research Forest, including the creation of a 34,000-acre permanent reserve on its west side and smaller reserves throughout the rest of the forest; protection of 93% of the Elliott’s remaining mature and old-growth forests for imperiled species like the northern spotted owls, marbled murrelet and coastal marten; and improved streamside buffers to protect water quality and imperiled salmon. 

“This new approach to the Elliott will spotlight forest management plus research based on biodiversity, fish and wildlife recovery, and resilience to climate change,” said Brett Brownscombe of the Wild Salmon Center. “These are globally relevant issues that will play out on a nationally unique research forest on Oregon’s home turf at a critical time.”

The legislation advances collaborative partnerships, including notably with western Oregon Tribes and the incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge into the forest’s research framework. Representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, and the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde were active participants in the advisory committee that helped develop the Elliott State Research Forest proposal over the past three years.

Governor Kate Brown, Treasurer Tobias Read, other public officials and a diversity of stakeholders were instrument in the bill’s passage.

“We are grateful for the hard work that went into this historic effort,” said Doug Moore, Executive Director of Oregon League of Conservation Voters. “The governor, state treasurer and all the stakeholders put in a lot of work to get us to this incredible outcome, and this shows that we really can come together to accomplish great things for Oregon.”

Accompanying foundational documents to the Elliott State Research Forest, including a Forest Management Plan and a federal Habitat Conservation Plan, continue to be worked on and are expected to be complete in 2023. The legislation now moves to Governor Kate Brown’s desk for her signature. 

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The post Press Release: Victory for the Elliott State Forest! first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Learn about the history of the Elliott State Forest.

The post Webinar: Elliott State Forest Update — Dec. 8 @ 5:30pm first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Cascadia Wildlands believes that this plan has the potential to end nearly two decades of conflict over the Elliott State Forest and achieve lasting conservation outcomes. However, a few significant issues remain unresolved. The following are what we view as some of the strengths, compromises and unresolved issues contained in this proposal and encourage you to weigh in through the link above during the ongoing public engagement opportunity.

Plan Strengths

• The plan protects more than 90% of the older forests (>65 years of age) in permanent reserves;
• The plan places 66% of the entire forest (54,154 acres) in permanent reserves;
• The plan creates a 30,000+ acre contiguous reserve on the westside of the Elliott representing more than 37% of the entire forest;
• The plan includes riparian buffers of 120-200 feet in any harvest areas along fish bearing streams and 50-200 feet along perennial non fish bearing streams and 200 foot buffers along the West Fork Millicoma River, significantly stronger riparian protections that provided for in the Oregon Forest Practices Act;
• The plan protects trees and stands greater than 152 years of age which predate the 1868 stand replacement fire on the Elliott;
• In 50 years, more than 70% of the Elliott will be mature forest as compared with approximately 50% today;
• The plan proposes to meaningfully engage western Oregon Tribes in various opportunities;
• The plan prohibits any spraying of herbicides in reserves and limits aerial spraying to 17% of the forest where intensive timber harvest is prescribed and only when no other alternative is practicable;
• The plan bans the use of rodenticides to kill mountain beaver and other wildlife on the Elliott;
• The plan will create the opportunity for significant ecosystem research on a wide array of important topics;
• The plan will increase opportunities for recreation on the Elliott;
• The plan is predicated on full decoupling of the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund, which will eliminate pitting school children vs. the environment;
• The plan will keep the Elliott in public ownership;
• The plan creates real potential to bring together historically antagonistic stakeholders in a new era of collaboration for the Elliott.​​​​

As with any complex plan, there are also real trade offs:

• Clearcutting will continue on approximately 14,579 acres (18% of the Elliott) and will be limited to second-growth tree farms old, would be done on 60-year rotations (as opposed to 40 years now) and would include stronger riparian buffers as noted above;
• Selective harvest will occur on 14,654 acres which includes approximately 3,200 acres of older forest (>65 years old) including some marbled murrelet occupied habitat;
• Very limited aerial spraying of herbicides (only where other methods are not practicable) will be allowed in clearcuts.

Significant Unresolved Issues that are Still in Process

Governance structure—Cascadia Wildlands and partners are committed to strong public involvement, transparency, and enforcement mechanisms as essential parts of any agreement.

Any final plan must include these elements:

• Recognition and protection of known occupied marbled murrelet sites on the forest;
• The potential to secure carbon credits;
• A Habitat Conservation Plan (which should mirror the OSU Research Forest Plan) supported by federal fish and wildlife agencies;
• Funding mechanisms to complete 100% decoupling of the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund. Recall in 2017, the Oregon legislature appropriated $100 million in bonding revenue to put toward to the $221 million price tag on the Elliott, and $121 million is still owed to the School Fund to complete decoupling.

Note that this plan is still being refined so numbers could shift slightly.

Please participate in this public process and upcoming informational webinars and let the State and OSU know what you think.

Thank you for helping us create a lasting solution for the Elliott State Forest!

The post Elliott State Research Forest Proposal Released — Your Comments Needed first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

No upcoming WildChats are scheduled at this time.
Check out the video recordings of past WildChats.

Consider joining our volunteer team, the WildCATs, for the opportunity to learn more as well as share your skills and knowledge with others too!

WildChats Calendar

Tuesday 5-6pm, dates as determined below

• T.B.D. Stay tuned for updates

Cascadia WildChats will bring unique content featuring hot topics in forest defense, fossil fuel resistance and threatened species protection.

We look forward to continuing to strengthen our community and grow our toolboxes as we navigate these difficult times together.

The Cascadia Action Team (aka WildCAT) is what we call all our volunteers. WildCATs help support our ongoing conservation campaigns through education, outreach, advocacy, and hands-on action.

* *In-Person meetings are canceled until further notice due to COVID-19. However, you can join us for online WildCAT Meetings on Zoom!
REGISTER HERE to be a WildCAT

The post WildChats with Cascadia! first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Last week we kicked off our summer as Cascadia Wildlands’ latest legal interns by attending oral arguments in the Oregon Supreme Court! It couldn’t have been better timing that we started our internships just as attorneys Dan Kruse and Nick Cady were putting the final touches on their Oregon Supreme Court oral argument in the Cascadia Wildlands vs. Oregon Dept. of State Lands (ODSL) lawsuit. This case concerns the ODSL’s sale of the 788-acre East Hakki Ridge parcel of the Elliott State Forest to Seneca Jones Timber Company, which plaintiffs argue is a clear violation of ORS 530.450, which prohibits the sale of the Elliott State Forest. While the ODSL and Seneca Jones (the Intervenor) have readily conceded that the sale violated the statute, they argue that the statute itself was entirely unconstitutional — an argument that Cascadia Wildlands asserts to be incorrect. Following the Appellate Court’s 2016 ruling in favor of the petitioners (Cascadia Wildlands, Audubon Society of Portland, Center for Biological Diversity, and Joshua Laughlin), the ODSL and Seneca Jones appealed to the state Supreme Court, which scheduled oral arguments for June 4, 2019.

We began by familiarizing ourselves with the Elliott State Forest timber sale in question and then accompanied Cascadia Wildlands’ attorneys to the Oregon Supreme Court. Observing and participating in the preparation for oral arguments allowed us to understand the legal mechanics required to construct a successful oral argument – a 30 minute conversation with a panel of judges champing at the bit to ask narrow hypothetical and big-picture questions, all to gain a deeper understanding of how to interpret the law.

After enjoying the visual distractions of 105-year-old courthouse, complete with a marble interior and an intricate stained-glass ceiling, the judges entered the courtroom and the focus turned to the center of the room. The ODSL began with its argument, splitting time with the attorney representing Seneca Jones. Dan Kruse followed, fielding the judge’s questions and challenges calmly and firmly, without skipping a beat. Though we are only first-year legal interns, anyone who heard Dan’s delivery would confidently agree that he rocked it.

Forest management in the United States is rife with problems, and while federal and state agencies have great ability to manage and remedy these challenges, action is not always set in motion properly. It is imperative that conservationists are able to find recourse in the courts, where the impartial judicial branch can enforce the duties of the legislature and executive branches regarding our public lands. As Jess and I watched the law interface with the state government and private industry, we are hopeful that the Court will right what Cascadia Wildlands believes to be a wrong. We are grateful for the opportunity to support Cascadia’s competent legal team and look forward to a fun and challenging experience with the organization. Admittedly, after week one, the expectations are quite high.

The post Cascadia Wildlands and Partners in Front of Oregon Supreme Court to Protect the Elliott State Forest first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

It may not be the trial of the century, but Monday saw the start of the trial of a lifetime for some cryptic, secretive seabirds nesting in the Elliot State Forest. The case is Cascadia Wildlands v. Scott Timber Company, and it is taking place this week in judge Aiken’s Courtroom #1 at Federal District Court in Eugene. At issue are the timber company’s plans to clearcut log 46 acres of old-growth forest from the Benson Ridge parcel of what used to be the Elliott State Forest, in the Oregon coast range not far from the town of Lakeside. Stopping the saws are the unobtrusive seabird, the Marbled Murrelet, which nests in old-growth forest; and a persistent group of forest defenders who care about them.

Usually, environmental destruction never makes it into a court of law. There are almost no laws protecting our environment; only laws protecting people. One rare exception is the endangered species act, a law which makes it illegal to drive a species to extinction. Because the Murrelet is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and because citizen surveyors actually found nesting Murrelets in this specific stand of trees, Cascadia was able to sue to stop the logging on the logic that it would result in illegal “take” of Murrelets.

The atmosphere is nervous as the assembled crowd waits for the judge to make her entrance. Dark-suited attorneys sit at the tables on either side of the room, computer monitors in front of them showing a photograph of a Marbled Murrelet on the sea. Gathered in the room are attorneys, citizen advocates, and bird scientists. The bird on the monitor is the real plaintiff in the case. The obligation to speak for the bird that can’t speak for itself weighs heavy.

Lead counsel for the good guys is Cascadia’s own Dan Kruse, an accomplished environmental and criminal defense attorney who judge Hogan once called a tall glass of water. We also know him as a cut-throat Poker champion, and steadfast forest defender.

In opening statements, the contest begins to take shape. The Marbled Murrelet, a rare seabird, nests exclusively on branches of big trees in the coast range. Loss of that old forest to logging is the main reason they are going extinct. Scott Timber, which recently bought some acreage of old-growth from out of the Elliott State Forest, wants to clearcut log one of those stands of old-growth. In 2014, citizen surveyors with Coast Range Forest Watch found and documented Murrelets nesting in that very stand.

The law says you can’t knowingly harm a threatened species. Our case is that logging this old-growth, by destroying nest trees and making neighboring trees more vulnerable to predators, would harm Marbled Murrelets. We aren’t demanding money; just that they stop the logging.

The logging company’s opening statement sets out their view. They say we have a high burden of proving that this tract is essential to particular Marbled Murrelets, and that logging it would cause some specific problem for some specific bird. This is a familiar line of argument from earth-destroyers. They love to complain about uncertainty until it is too late.

Plaintiffs first burden is to show “standing.” This is an odd legal doctrine that requires someone bringing a lawsuit to show that they will be personally harmed by the lawbreaking. The law doesn’t protect nature. It only protects humans. It is not enough to show that Scott Timber would illegally kill Murrelets. We also have to prove that in killing those Murrelets, it will hurt us.

Filling that task for us is Francis Eatherington, a long-time forest activist. On the stand she testifies to how many times she has been in this particular stand of trees, how she has enjoyed it, and how she would be hurt by a clearcut. Francis is a perfect witness, personable and relatable. Her sharp knowledge of the facts on the ground, understanding of the law, and long experience give her undeniable credibility.

The logging company half-heartedly tries to catch her in a trap. Isn’t it true, they ask, that what she really cares about is the forest? That she is only pretending to care about Murrelets because they can stop this logging?

Francis’ eyes light up as she takes the opportunity to explain holistic worldviews to the young timber industry lawyer. Yes, it is about the forest, she explains, and what forest includes Murrelets  It includes the trees, the plants, the wildlife and birds, including the Marbled Murrelet.

Next on the stand is Max Beeken. Clean-cut in a slacks and tie, Max does not look the stereotype of a forest defender. The Port Orford resident with a bachelor of science in field biology is a co-founder of Coast Range Forest Watch, an all-volunteer group that does citizen science to protect the coast range forests.

Marbled Murrelet surveys are a big part of what they do. Part of Max’s job is keeping track of all of the Murrelet survey forms from volunteers, so the attorney walks him through page after page of Murrelet surveys. The group has done about four hundred surveys looking for Murrelets.

Our attorney pauses on the survey form that showed Marbled Murrelets nesting in this stand. One survey, on May 24, 2014, is what this case comes down to.

The attorney pauses also on several surveys that did not find Murrelets, including one by Max himself where a Murrelet was detected, but not at the elevation that would show it was nesting. Why not just fudge the numbers a little bit, the attorney asks?

He answers simply: because that wouldn’t be true.

Industry tries to “impeach” Max only half-heartedly. Isn’t it true that he was affiliated with Cascadia Forest Defenders? Well yeah, and…?

Next on the stand is Clark McMahon, also a co-founder of Coast Range Forest Watch and a professional tree climber and surveyor. Clark spends a lot of his time doing surveys for timber companies, so it’s hard to challenge his credibility. That doesn’t stop the industry attorney from trying.

Isn’t it true he was arrested for criminal trespass a decade ago at a protest on the Elliott State Forest? Isn’t it true he was affiliated with Cascadia Forest Defenders? Yes and yes and…

But the industry lawyer’s gambit doesn’t work. McMahon, like Beeken and Eatherington, is not even remotely ashamed of protest activities. The line of accusation only bolsters their integrity. The judge gives a look. The industry attorney sits down.

The day’s highlight came with Clark on the stand. After having described in agonizing detail the survey protocol for Marbled Murrelet nesting, we hear audio recordings of his field notes. The courtroom is suddenly full of the silence of the forest at dawn. Clark’s voice, softly speaking into his recorder, notes the time, 5:30 a.m., weather a calm 58 degrees, and his observations. Two thrushes. A Robbin. At 5:30 he records seeing a Murrelet only 15 meters away, flying a straight line, but above the canopy.

Then comes the magic moment: two birds at zero-point-eight canopy, flying west, seventy meters away.

I am full of pride in Cascadia and gratitude for these citizen surveyors. They are actually pulling this off. They are giving the bird— one of our relations in Cascadia who can’t speak for itself— a voice in the courtroom.

Stay tuned…

The post Murrelet Get Their Days in Court–Words From the Courtroom Part 1 first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 844-8182
Micah Meskel, Audubon Society of Portland, (503) 481-5715
Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495
Daniel Kruse, Attorney, (541) 337-5829

Oregon Court Rules Sale of Elliott State Forest Tract Illegal

Old-growth Forest East of Coos Bay Will be Retained in Public Ownership

SALEM, Ore.— The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled today that the 2014 sale of the 788-acre East Hakki Ridge tract on the 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest east of Coos Bay was illegal. The ruling, which overturns the sale of the public land to a private timber company, marks a major win for the state’s public lands.

“This is a huge victory for public lands enthusiasts who were locked out of the forest after the state of Oregon recklessly sold this tract to the timber industry,” said Josh Laughlin, executive director of Cascadia Wildlands and an individual plaintiff in the case. “Privatizing public land would have been a disaster for imperiled salmon and wildlife that rely on clean water and old forests to survive.”

Cascadia Wildlands, Audubon Society of Portland and Center for Biological Diversity brought the lawsuit under an Oregon law, ORS 530.450, which states that it is illegal to sell the Elliott State Forest. State officials defended their decision to dispose of the parcel in court saying the State Land Board should not be required to follow the law.

“The decision by the state to sell off portions off the Elliott State Forest and avoid its legal obligations to protect imperiled marbled murrelets and the forests in which they depend was fundamentally flawed from the start,” said Bob Sallinger, conservation director for Portland Audubon. “It is now time for the state to step up and manage this amazing forest in a way that truly protects murrelets, spotted owls, coho salmon and other species that depend on our older forests.”

The state’s privatization scheme was in direct response to a successful 2012 case brought by the same conservation organizations, which halted dozens of old-growth timber sales on the Elliott, Clatsop and Tillamook state forests, where threatened marbled murrelets were nesting.

The imperiled seabird is unique, flying upwards of 40 miles inland to lay a single egg on a wide mossy limb in the region’s remaining older rainforests. Clearcutting of its habitat is the bird’s primary threat.

“The state should never have sold these public lands in the first place,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Elliott State Forest is a treasure to all Oregonians, providing critical habitat to coho salmon, marbled murrelets and people alike.”

ORS 530.450 withdraws from sale any lands on the Elliott State Forest that were originally part of the Siuslaw National Forest. The East Hakki Ridge parcel, located just south of the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area on Highway 38, fell within this category.

“The Elliott State Forest is one of the few places left in the Oregon Coast Range that has not been completely mowed over,” said attorney Daniel Kruse. “It is such a beautiful and important place, and today’s decision confirms that it cannot be sold off to the highest bidder for a quick dollar.”

Sold to Seneca Jones Timber Company, the East Hakki Ridge parcel was one of a handful of forested tracts the state sold to the timber industry in 2014. Another parcel, the 355-acre Benson Ridge tract, was sold to Scott Timber Company and is also currently subject to litigation.

The different state sales were looked at as test cases to sell off the entire Elliott State Forest to the timber industry. The State Land Board, made up of the governor, secretary of state and treasurer, oversees management of the Forest and was ready to sell the entire forest in 2017.

After significant grassroots organizing and legal campaigns by concerned Oregonians, the Land Board, led by Gov. Kate Brown, reversed course and opted to keep the treasured forest in public ownership. The 2017 Oregon Legislature later allocated $100 million in bonding revenue to help keep the forest public for the diversity of values it offers, like clean water, old-growth forests, salmon and wildlife habitat, carbon storage and recreation opportunities.

The plaintiffs were represented by attorneys Daniel Kruse of Eugene and Nicolas Cady with Cascadia Wildlands.

(photo by Andrew Kumler)

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The post Press Release: Oregon Court Rules Sale of Elliott State Forest Tract Illegal first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands, 541-844-8182

On July 3 during a work session in Salem, the Capital Construction Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee unanimously advanced $100 million in state bonding revenue to protect the 82,500-Elliott State Forest and keep it from being privatized. The vote followed a May 9 State Land Board meeting, where Governor Kate Brown, Treasurer Tobias Read, and Secretary of State Dennis Richardson voted 3-0 to keep the Elliott in public ownership through the use of state bonding capacity and the development of a Habitat Conservation Plan for the Coast Range forest. The full Ways and Means Committee is expected to pass the bill any day.

In 2016, the Elliott State Forest became threatened with privatization after a timber firm made a bid to purchase it from the State Land Board. Tens of thousands of Oregonians weighed in and opposed the privatization proposal, recognizing it would mean reduced public access and an increase in older forest clearcutting. It would have also set a dangerous precedent nationwide for other “underperforming” public lands.

The Elliott State Forest, located just east of Coos Bay, is a stronghold for imperiled Oregon Coast coho salmon and marbled murrelet, a seabird that flys inland to nest in the Coast Range’s remaining older forests. The Elliott, created in 1930 by Governor Oswald West and Oregon’s first State Forester Francis Elliott, is also a recreation hub for hunters, anglers and backcountry enthusiasts who value their public lands.

Statements from Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands’ Executive Director, on today’s vote:

“The fireworks and celebration started early this year. The outcome of today’s vote is a testament to the will of Oregonians who spoke loud and clear about the importance of keeping the Elliott State Forest in public ownership.”

“This solution wouldn’t have happened without the leadership of Governor Kate Brown. Because of her vision, and the strong desire of Oregonians, the Elliott State Forest will stay in public ownership for its incredible values, and future generations of Oregonians will be forever grateful.”

The post Press Release: Lawmakers Advance $100 Million in State Bonding Revenue to Keep the Elliott State Forest Public first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.